Gentle Healing Hands
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day 1050a: One day Brittany found an injured cat, and Santana helped her care for him. - Faves cycle, day 21 of 21, Top 5 relationships - Number 1 - Brittany/Santana


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 49th cycle. Now cycle 50!_

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**CYCLE 50 SPECIAL FAVORITES CHART - **_So I've done 'favorites' cycles before, and this is another one, but since it's cycle 50, I wanted to do something special for it. So instead of the usual top 16 with a 6-chapter Boston Britt installment for Brittany (who has always been and remains number one ;)), this is how it will be: It's shift days through the cycle. Shift B will be a 21-chapter/day Boston Britt. In shift A, after the first day's 'extra' dedicated to New Directions, there will be four Top 5 lists, working their way down (all the number 5 spots, all the number 4 spots, number 3, 2, and finishing with all the number one spots)_

_The Top 5's are as follows (all are my 'top 5 favorite...'):  
* Top 5 Series (my series)  
* Top 5 Friendships  
* Top 5 Characters  
* Top 5 Relationships_

_**TODAY: Top 5 Relationships: #1 - Brittany/Santana**  
_

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_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Those Are Wooden Wings, chapter 21._

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**"Gentle Healing Hands"  
(Younger) Brittany/Santana**

When Brittany had come asking for a favor, she hadn't exactly hesitated, only been surprised. They had not been hanging out all that long, so the mention of them being friends, which was why Brittany had turned to her, had been something new. So she had said yes, and there she had learned what this favor entailed.

Brittany had found a sick cat trailing around her street the weekend before, and she had taken him home. Her mother had come this close to booting the poor thing right back out the door, but her daughter's pleas had stayed his expulsion. She had at the very least made Brittany take him to a vet.

He wouldn't spread anything, and he would get better, if someone would look after him and saw to his treatment. He didn't appear to belong to anyone, and Brittany's flyers had turned up no claimers, so he was as good as hers.

"I was thinking maybe you could come over to my house and you could help me look after him," the blonde smiled.

"Is it really that big of a job that it needs two people?" Santana asked, unsure. Brittany hesitated.

"Oh, well… no, not really, I just thought… we could… It's okay, never mind…" she turned to leave.

"No, Britt, wait…" Santana made her stop and look back. "I'll help," she nodded.

That day after school, Santana had followed Brittany home, and there she had watched her kneel down to pet the cat in one of those round animal beds, sitting in the corner of her room. She hadn't meant to say it, only think it, but when she'd seen him, it had been stronger than her.

"Wow, check out Lord Tubbington…" Brittany looked back at her and, judging by the retreating smirk, she could guess the blonde had thought it was funny but didn't want to admit it.

"He's going on a diet as soon as he'd better," she declared.

"What's a cat diet?" Santana pondered, cautiously approaching the girl and the sick pet.

"I don't know, smaller mice?" Brittany guessed. "Unless he's a vegetarian…"

"Just put the two on the floor and see which one he goes to," Santana joked, then… "Assuming he can walk."

"Don't make fun of him, he's already not feeling well," Brittany begged, picking him up to hold in her lap.

"Right, sorry," she came and sat on the ground with her, hesitating before she pet the cat.

"See, he likes you," Brittany smiled as the cat purred. Santana smirked, looking back at the girl.

It was damn near impossible not to smile when she was around Brittany, and that was something she was quickly coming to realize. There was something so simple about her, and not in the sense of stupid, though some people would call her that. Brittany was simple as a person. She had a much gentler soul than anyone Santana knew and, compared to her, it seemed almost wrong that they should get along, but they did.

'Getting along' didn't even really cover it, if you asked her. When she'd be with Brittany, it was like she go to be a different person, and no one would even blink an eye. No one else would ever come to Santana in hopes to find someone to care for a sick pet, wouldn't imagine it'd be something she'd do… including her.

And that was only one side, because it wasn't just that she was a different way when she was around her, but she was coming to understand more and more that she liked the way she was when she was with her, and she kind of just liked hanging out with her. So if Brittany considered her a friend, then she was more than up for the job.

On that afternoon, and several more times over the next few days, Santana would continue to join Brittany in caring for the cat. By the third day it appeared the off-handed call to Lord Tubbington had stuck and become his name for good. Santana didn't really have much to do, as Brittany had the whole thing under control. She was so good with the fury thing, and with how she cared for him, his recovery was coming along very nicely. Now Santana began to wonder.

Why had Brittany even asked her for help? Santana could see she wasn't needed, and yet there she was. And she could have asked anyone, anyone at all, but she'd asked her. Maybe she was reading too much into this, but maybe she wanted to spend this time with her, and the cat had merely been a reason, means to an end. Santana had no problem with that at all.

On Monday morning she would find a note slipped in her locker, a 'thank you' note from the feline himself, expressing gratitude for Santana's help to his friend and hers, Brittany. It was criminal how much it made her smile, and she was quick to hide it before anyone saw her and spoiled the moment. She would keep the note, both as a memory and as a physical 'proof' to recall how she and Brittany had properly gone and become friends.

THE END

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******A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
****In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
************always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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